For about 3.5 quarters, the Indiana Pacers looked on track to beat the Chicago Bulls at Conseco Fieldhouse.

But any Pacers fan would tell you that they were still sweating.  And they would be right, because the Pacers choked down the stretch and ended up losing 109-101 (outscored 28-15 in the fourth).

Sad, really.  But not totally unexpected.

Granger had 27 points (on 9-23 shooting), grabbed 10 boards and dished out 3 assists.  Troy Murphy had 18 and 16 and Earl Watson had 14 and 6 assists, but had 5 turnovers, including 2 big ones down the stretch the complete the Bulls' comeback.

Interestingly, Coach O'Brien went with TJ Ford over AJ Price tonight.  Does this mean the promising 2nd round pick is heading back to the end of the bench in favor of Ford?  In 14 minutes of play, Ford had 9 points (on 4-6 shooting) and added a rebound and an assist.

I say no matter what, play Price!  Ford and Watson can battle it out to see who can come off the bench.  The Pacers need to think about the future, not the past.

Just when residents of Indianapolis thought they could finally rejoice, be happy about something, the Colts have to go lose to the Saints, 31-17 in Superbowl XLIV.

Still, at least they got that far.  Sigh.  When will the Pacers ever get back to the Finals again?

When TJ Ford is the best player on the team, you know the team is in trouble.

That was exactly the case tonight, when the Indiana Pacers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, 93-81.

Ford, filling in for Earl Watson (attending family funeral), scored 20 points (8-11 shooting) and added 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes.  The second highest scorer for the team was Danny Granger, who had another awful shooting night to finish with 14 points on 5-14 shooting.  Brandon Rush has a triple nickel (5 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds), and Roy Hibbert had 10 points and 5 fouls in 25 minutes.

Interesting dilemma for Coach O'Brien when Earl Watson returns next game.  Does he keep playing TJ Ford, who has been performing great since returning from his involuntary exile, or does he go back to the AJ Price/Watson combo he previously said gave the team its best chance to win (eg from approximately 20% to 23%)?

Personal opinion - keep playing Ford - but not because he gives the Pacers a better chance to win.  We've seen enough of Ford this season to know that he is not the answer at PG, and a couple of good games shouldn't make us all have renewed faith in him.  I say play him and let him have a few more good games so that other teams will actually consider trading for him, then get rid of him as fast as they can.

There, I said it.

On the other hand, Troy Murphy might not want to leave Indiana after all.  He only had 6 points today and got dominated in the post by Bogut and Mbah a Moute (I love that name).

Just so you know, the Pacers are now 18-33.  Man, those 36-46 seasons never looked so good.

Jim O'Brien is back from a funeral and Earl Watson has gone to one (his grandmother's).

Consequently, second round pick AJ Price started for the first time in his NBA career at point guard.  TJ Ford shifted from the end of the bench to back-up.  And the result?  An impressive 107-83 win over the pathetic Detroit Pistons (just slightly more pathetic than the Pacers).

Price held up okay.  25 minutes, 8 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds.  TJ Ford played really well, actually, with 11 points and 5 assists in 23 minutes.  Danny Granger scored 25 (9-17 shooting) to lead 6 players in double figures.  Brandon Rush continued his impressive run with 16 points (7-12 shooting), 4 rebounds and 5 assists, while Hibbert and Murphy both had double-doubles.

The Pacers now have a 2-game winning streak and are 18-32 for the season.

I like the starting line-up of Price, Rush (as long as he keeps up his play of late), Granger, Murphy and Hibbert.  Dahntay Jones, Mike Dunleavy and TJ Ford playing 20+ minutes off the bench.  This team could win some games.  The question is, do we want them to?

Whoa.

All that pessimism was uncalled for.  The Indiana Pacers showed a glimpse of a possible future by pouring in a season high 130 points in a win against the Toronto Raptors tonight.  Everything tonight seemed to click, on the offensive side at least.  Unfortunately, the defense was the usual, as the Pacers gave up 115 points in return.

Check this out.  SEVEN players in double figures, led by Granger (23), Murphy (20), Hibbert (18), Watson (15), Rush (13), Head (13) and Dunleavy (12).  Two other guys (Dahntay Jones and AJ Price) who scored 8 each and almost got to double figures.

That's pretty impressive.

Maybe it is too soon to blow things up.  This team has a teeny weeny bit of potential.  Of making the playoffs, perhaps, but not much more than that.  Throw in a good PG, play some defense (this may require a new coach), and maybe, just maybe, the Pacers can do something next season.